It was probably best that I was not here when it happened. Although, coming home to it was horrible nonetheless. This is the second major tragedy in my garden in only a few months. Last autumn, just before it could defoliate to be less susceptible to the wind, the most magnificent black oak in my garden was blown down. Now I find that the weather has again flaunted its ominous power by claiming the innocent life of the most glorious Douglas fir, and desecrating the shattered remains in the cold mud.
How can this be?! I am an arborist! I am supposed to protect trees from such demise! Sadly, the truth is that the fir has been deteriorating for a long time before we became acquainted. There was nothing that I could have done for it. If the tree had been located where it could have been hazardous to anyone in the area, it would have needed to be removed.
Hazardous trees innately become much more hazardous in stormy weather. Rain loosens their anchorage by softening the soil. Wind can either destabilize trees, or break their limbs away. Ideally, it is best to give trees the attention they need before the weather gets unpleasant. Realistically though, we do not often think about it while the weather is not so threatening.
Now that the weather is reminding us of how important it is to take care of our trees, we should be certain to do so properly. Large trees may require procedures that we are unable to perform. When it becomes necessary to procure the services of tree maintenance professionals, it is imperative to find qualified arborists. (Arborists are horticulturists of trees.)
Unfortunately, the arboricultural (tree maintenance) industries are infested with unqualified ‘hackers’ who can inflict serious damage. Real arborists are about as specialized as physicians are. Getting anyone else to assess trees is about a sensible as getting a cardiologist to do brain surgery.
Arborists inspect trees to identify hazards such as instability and structural deficiency, and then prescribe corrective procedures. Not everyone involved with the crew that performs any necessary procedures is a ‘certified’ arborist. The crew should though be directed by what an arborist prescribes. Sometimes, trees are found to be too hazardous to be salvaged, and will need to be removed.
The website of the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) at www.isaarbor.com is an excellent resource for finding local certified arborists. This site also features articles that explain in more detail than I did why it is so important to ‘hire an arborist’, as well as many other relevant topics. Perhaps just as importantly, it demonstrates how serious arborists are about arboriculture.
Tony Tomeo 
So terrible to lose two beautiful trees in just a few months. I am glad that you weren’t hurt, and trust that there was no damage to your structures. But the trees! How painful to see them broken and fallen. It sounds like there is wind, as well as excessive rain, a terrible danger for mature trees. The jacks can manage clean u up, but an experienced professional is needed to evaluate, and potentially save a tree.
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This article was recycled from several years ago. At the time, I was not aware of either tree falling. The upper black oak was too far away and over a hill, so I could not have heard it from home. The fir must have come down while there were too many other noises from the forest for me to notice. It likely came down while I was away.
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Thank you for clarifying that, Tony. I was assuming it was recent damage this winter. Having trees fall in our yard does great damage, feels totally traumatic, and is outrageously expensive to clean up. It has happened three times since we’ve been here. I read your article about coppicing and pollarding with interest. Very nice job in that set of photos, too! The most extreme pollarding around our area, beyond the ‘crape murder’ of so many flowering trees, is actually at Colonial Williamsburg. You will find a photo of a ‘pollarded Platanus’ kept at CW in this article about trees that I published a few months ago: https://jccwmg.org/wordpress/the-beauty-and-promise-of-trees-in-winter/
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Losing trees in the forest is saddening, but not quite as much as losing trees within refined landscapes. I suppose that it could be, of course, depending on the trees. I find that I can accept forest trees finishing their natural life span more easily than prematurely cutting down trees just because they no longer fit the landscapes that they inhabit, or because someone dislikes them.
The pollarded tree in the illustration to the article was a copy of the ‘Tree of Hippocrates’ that was planted at a hospital in Santa Cruz in 1968. (It is described as a seedling, but I suspect that it is a cutting.) I do not know who the arborist who pollards it is, but I can see that he or she does exemplary work, in the English style, which is actually a bit more sustainable than how I would do it. I can see no evidence that pollarding of this tree has ever been neglected since 1968. Pollarding is not only ‘slightly’ more acceptable in the East, but may be done at Historical Williamsburg for historic reasons. Do you know why these particular trees are pollarded?
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I spoke with one of the founders of the CW arboretum about it, and he provided more photos and also clarified that I had misidentified the species in my original article. I thought it was a hybrid, (from another source) but it is the native tree. He did not tell me why they pollard the tree that way, but I suspect it is to demonstrate how the English at the time when Williamsburg was a colonial capital would have managed such a tree. There is plenty of space there for the trees to mature, so it isn’t an issue of space for the tree to grow normally.
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The article accurately describes them ad Platanus occidentalis, American sycamore, rather than Platanus X acerifolia, London plane, although it mentions London plane. The bark of London plane is not so white.
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Very sad to lose two large trees within such a short space of time.
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It was! (This article was recycled from years ago.) The fir was one of the two largest firs in the area. The oak was one of two grand specimens, and the other is rather disfigured. It is how nature works though. The trees that are there now will eventually be grand also.
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I recently stumbled upon your blog and truly admire your style.
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Thank you., . . . but besides being a nurseryman, I am also an arborist; and arborists are famously deficient in regard to style.
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